Broken Bonds
by Bonnie Sveen Fan
Summary: Rated T for senstive issues, please don't read if you think you'll get upset. Ricky makes a heartbreaking discovery. Possible Ricky and Brax.


**Rated T for sensitive issues. This wasn't planned, but I got the idea and this is the result from that. I don't usually struggle with thinking up titles for my stories, but I have with this one. Denny and Ricky friendship.**

 **Spelling and grammar mistakes are my fault.**

 **I know you can't get treatment for cot death (I wrote this after I realised)**

 **I also realised that many of my Brax and Ricky one - shots are long.**

 **I know I don't usually include Ash and Billie in to my stories, I just can't warm to them. But I did like the scene where Ricky and Billie went surfing together.**

 **Big, big thank you to WaterlooRoadFan2012, who checked this over for me.**

* * *

Broken Bonds. 

Denny helped Ricky get the pram in to the flat, the two girls had been for a surf, then a coffee.

Ricky looked up from putting the brakes on the pram and lifting Casey in to her arms. "Thanks for today, Denny"

Denny nodded and left the flat, making her way to the farmhouse.

Ricky walked in to the bedroom and lowered Casey carefully in to the cot. The child cried.

"Shh" Ricky soothed, kissing his forehead, her head resting in her other hand.

Finally, he dropped off to sleep. She picked up the monitor and crept quietly out of the room and going down the hallway. She sat on the couch in the living room, putting the monitor on the coffee table.

She hadn't considered loosing Casey, not after Brax had faked his own death, which she now knew about. But, it seemed fate had wanted to torment Ricky.

"Hey, little man. " She held the boys small hand. He was floppy and blue. She panicked. "Wake up. Wake up for mummy" Ricky was desperately trying to stay strong. She scooped Casey in to her arms and ran out of the flat, banging on next door. "Kyle!" She shouted, distressed.

There was no answer. She walked down the corridor slowly, still clutching Casey to her.

Denny spotted her. "Are you ok, Ricky?"

"Yeah, I'm fine" She lied.

But Denny noticed Casey wasn't moving in his mums arms. Something bad had happened.

Ricky just wanted to make sure her son was alright; Casey was the last remaining link to Brax.

"I'll ring Hannah" Denny said, getting her phone out of her jeans pockets.

She just nodded, too numb to do anything else.

Denny come off the phone and realised that Ricky hadn't moved. She gently guided her outside to where Hannah was parked in her car.

* * *

Ricky got out of the car as Hannah turned off the engine. She kept hold of her son, hoping and praying that he would be ok. She hoped she'd be able to take him home.

"Ricky?" Nate caught the attention of his ex - girlfriend, holding her baby against her chest.

"I couldn't wake him up" She told him.

Nate took the baby in to a room while Ricky and Denny waited in the relatives room, well, Ricky paced the room, too anxious to sit down.

"Ricky, sit down " Denny told her, she was sure that the stressed - out mum was going to put a hole in the floor with her pacing.

But Ricky's thoughts were on her baby. Alone. In a room, with a team of highly skilled doctors and nurses working on him, like he was a piece of meat. But, he wasn't. He was a tiny human being who his mother loved with all her heart.

Nate walked in to the relatives room, his expression was unreadable. But, in her hearts of hearts, Ricky knew, Nate didn't have to say anything.

"I'm so sorry, Ricky " He told her. "We did everything we could for him. "

Even know, she heard the docs words, they just floated through her.

Denny put an arm around her friends shoulders, but she shrugged her off.

Nate nodded and left the room, while Denny rang her aunt Hannah to come and pick them up.

Hannah parked up outside, Denny kept her arm around Ricky, who was numb with grief. As, they were about to leave, Nate handed Denny a number for Ricky to call, if she needed anything, or weather she just wanted to speak to other mums who had lost children.

"Thanks Nate" said Denny as they turned and walked out of the hospital and they headed over to Hannah's car. Ricky got in, in silence, ignoring Hannah's concerned look. Hannah turned on the engine and drove out of the hospital car - park.

* * *

Ricky stood outside the front door, trying to build up the courage to go inside without her baby boy was heartbreaking. His toys were on the floor. His rocker was on the rug, he'd only been in it that morning. She let the door swing shut. She would have to start ringing people to let them know.

Brax. Even know, she knew he was alive, she had no way to contact him and that just added to her grief.

Heath & Bianca.

Kyle and Pheboe.

She didn't want Ash or Billie as she blamed Billie for her finding out that Brax was alive, at the funeral. And, after she realised Billie had known, she had cottoned on to the fact that Brax wasn't really dead, he'd just told Ash to tell her he was, so he could keep her and the baby safe from Gunno. She'd slapped Ash in anger.

Denny and Hannah.

Nate.

Irene.

Marylin and John, Jett had left for boarding school as he wanted to join the army.

Leah and Zack.

She looked down at the list and choked back a cry, she shouldn't be burying her baby.

* * *

Kyle was on his way back from Angelo's, where he'd done a shift when he noticed Denny by Ricky's flat.

"Denny?" Kyle asked, wondering what the teen wanted.

She looked up. "Have you seen Ricky?" She asked, she'd not seen her since she asked Hannah to drive them to the hospital, as she could see that Ricky was in no fit state to drive herself.

"No, why?" Kyle asked.

Denny shook her head sadly. "I think you should go and see her"

Kyle nodded as he cautiously made his way in to the dark flat. He found the mum, holding her sons blanket while staring in to space, a blank expression on her face.

"Casey's dead" She whispered, a tear falling down her cheek, along with a few others.

"What?" Kyle had gone white, she had to be playing a sick joke on him, right?

But a look at her face, told him she wasn't joking.

He sat down beside her and put his arms around her but she wouldn't allow herself to be comforted.

Ricky pushed Kyle away from her as she cried and cried for her baby boy.

There was a figure watching both of them in the doorway. It was Brax. He'd heard about Casey's death on the news and knew that he had to come home to try to comfort Ricky through her loss. She needed him. But she'd needed him when she pregnant and he'd let her down.

 _News Report._

 _A baby boy died today, it's been rumoured hat he died from cot death. After putting him down for a nap, his mum struggled to wake him, a few hours later. Blue and unresponsive, she rushed him to hospital where doctors worked on him, while she waited anxiously for news._

 _Sadly, the mum didn't get the chance to say goodbye to her bab-"_

* * *

Kyle switched the news off, as he realised that Ricky didn't need to watch it.

Ricky hugged her knees to her as Brax came over to her.

After months of upset and anger as she had believed she lost the man she had loved, Ricky slowly raised from the couch, shook back her hair and slapped Brax in anger across the face.

"Ricky, I did it to protect you and Casey " Brax said as he put a hand to his stinging cheek.

"Get out!" She shouted, folding her arms across her chest. She didn't want to see him or hear him say his name as he just reminded her of their baby.

Kyle spoke up. "Brax, I think it's best if you go"

"Alright" Brax said, making his towards the door. Ricky didn't look at him, she felt too angry. She knew she would hit him again, if he didn't leave soon.

* * *

A few days, before the funeral, Brax and Ricky, were allowed to have their son home with them. They funeral people had dressed him in a babygrow that Ricky had choosen, held him, cried and told him how much they loved him. They wrapped him in a blue blanket and Ricky placed his teddy by him. She didn't want him to be alone.

* * *

The next day, as it was the day of Casey's funeral, the undertakers came to put the lid on the coffin.

Brax pulled Ricky out of the living room, he didn't want her to watch the undertakers putting the lid on the coffin.

Heath, who had come back from the city with Bianca for the funeral, knocked on the door. Brax, who was absouately drained, answered it.

"How are you mate?" Heath asked, he knew the pain Brax was going through; he went through exactly the same when Rocco died.

Brax kicked the wall in pure frustration as Ricky came out of their bedroom, dressed in a simple black dress, her hair was in a plait to keep it off her face and on her feet she wore a pair of heels.

She rubbed Brax's arm.

"Are we ready?" He asked.

She simply nodded. And walked out of the house to the waiting hearse. The funeral person got out of the car and opened the door. Ricky stood up without saying anything as she seen Billie. She glared at her.

The funeral people brought the tiny white over as Kyle and Brax hoisted the coffin carefully on to their shoulders and they started the walk in to the church.

They began to walk in to the church with Ricky on one side of Brax.

"Soon baby Casey will go to his final resting place" The vicar, father Bill, said as he read from the bible in front of him, but it was obvious that he didn't need it.

Ricky and Bianca both cried tears, Bianca as she was reminded of Rocco and Ricky, as she never did imagine that she would be here in a church burying her baby.

"Would either of Casey's parents like to say a few words?" Father Bill asked.

Ricky stood up, as she made her way to the stand.

"Casey wasn't planned but he was loved by me and his father. " She said, seeking Brax out in the crowd of people who had turned up to say goodbye to the Braxton Baby, who had only been on earth for a short time but was loved by all who met him.

Brax stood up and joined Ricky on the alter. He squeezed her hand.

After, they had finished talking, it was time to put Casey in to the hearse and drive to where he was being buried.

He was being buried next to Casey and Rocco.

The hearse arrived.

Ricky walked around.

* * *

Brax and Ricky stepped out from the car and made their way to the hole where Casey was soon going to be.

Father Bill said a few words about Casey now being in the lords arms. "Casey is now in the Lords arms, may he rest in peace "

As, the coffin was lowered in to the ground, Brax put his arm around her as she sobbed, unable to watch her son being put in the ground.

A pot of soil was passed around, Brax grabbed a handful and threw it on top of the grave. "Sorry, I couldn't be there to protect you, Case, you were my son. And I was meant to protect you "

Ricky's legs buckled from under her and she collapsed to the floor.

Brax was by her side in an instant. He moved her hair away from her face. Hannah had also seen her fall.

"Ricky, can you hear me?" She asked.

The distraught mum didn't respond. Brax couldn't bare to lose Ricky to on the day they buried their baby, but in a way he had already lost her.

She started to stare, slowly coming around to her surroundings. "Hey" Brax said gently.

She looked at him. "I'm fine" Was the automatic response, she wasn't used to letting her guard down.

* * *

They held a silence for him back at the house, Ricky resting on the couch. Brax sat down beside her, legs resting on his lap. He ran a hand through her hair.

* * *

Nate rang Ricky a few days later, and asked her and Brax to come in. He had the results of Casey's post mortom.

She felt her body shake. Brax wrapped his arms around her tightly and pulled her in for a hug, she didn't try to resist him. She buried her face in to his chest as he gently stroked her hair. "I'm there" He told her.

"I know" Ricky sniffed and wiped away her tears.

Brax picked up his car keys and unlocked the door. Holding the door open for Ricky.

They arrived at the hospital. Got out of the car. It was like they were going through the motions.

Nate didn't keep them waiting long.

"Come in" Nate told them as they both stood up and walked hand - in - hand to the doctors office.

"Take a seat" He told them both.

The estranged couple sat down.

"Right" Nate started as he sat down behind his desk. "The results show that Casey died from cot death " Nate told them sensitively, he had delivered that baby, he had a history with Ricky.

Ricky remembered when Bianca and Heath had lost Rocco, to cot death, it had almost torn the couple apart. She buried her face in her hands.

"Thanks doc" Brax felt choked up, he had been looking forward to trying to win Ricky back and maybe raising their son together, but now he wouldn't be able to.

Nate nodded as the couple stood up, Ricky picked up her handbag and jacket and put it on. They left the office and walked down the corridor, to the car. He opened the car door for her.

"Are you alright?" Brax asked, driving home.

Silence met his answer.

Brax sighed. He was grieving too, they should be grieving together, not drifting apart.

Hw reached their house in silence and Ricky opened the door, getting out and walking up the steps to unlock the front door, she got her keys out of her bag and put them in to the lock as the door opened and she walked inside, heading in to the living room and sitting down on the couch in the living room.

Brax walked in to the kitchen and opened the fridge getting out a beer. He took the bottle- opener out of the drawer and took a large swig.

He stroked the picture of Casey which was on the fridge.

He headed back in to the living room. Ricky was asleep on the couch. Brax picked up a throw blanket which was on the back of the couch. He lay it over her before bending down and kissing her on her forehead. She didn't stare.

* * *

A couple of days later, a small group of the Bay's residents gathered by the sea to watch Brax and Ricky surf in memory of their precious baby boy; forever in their hearts.

* * *

 **Now that the one - shot is finished, I'll explain something. I know the show did the same storyline with Heath and Bianca loosing Rocco to cot death, I didn't watch the show then.**

 **Thank you for reading. I'm sorry if I upset anyone while I wrote this. Was wrote in minutes.**


End file.
